Special session of Parl will serve no purpose unless Swaraj, scam-tainted CMs are removed: Congress

Hitting back on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress on Tuesday said that convening of special session of Parliament will serve no purpose unless govt takes action against Sushma Swaraj and other chief ministers.

New Delhi: Hitting back on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress on Tuesday said that convening of special session of Parliament will serve no purpose unless govt takes action against Sushma Swaraj and other chief ministers.

On government's effort to pass the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “ We are for passage of GST but only if govt accepts amendments proposed by us.”

The Centre is trying to hold a special session of Parliament in order to pass the GST Bill.

According to media reports, most parties are on board for a special session. However, the Congress continues to disagree with the government's version of the proposed law.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had earlier maintained that the government is in discussion with the opposition for a special Parliament session on GST Bill.

Congress - which had initiated the GST Bill in 2006 - is strongly opposed to it in the present form and is insisting on three key amendments. The Monsoon Session has not been prorogued which means that the government can convene it again.

The Bill has been stuck in a political logjam in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) does not have a majority.

Congress' demand of removal of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is a long pending one whic had come in July after a British newspaper said Keith Vaz, one of Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MPs, used the senior BJP leader's name to pressure Britain's top immigration official to grant travel papers to former IPL chief Lalit Modi in leaving India.

Mounting pressure on the government, Congress had earlier also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, saying it will also help BJP in "correcting" its image which has taken a hit due to the scams.